Bailey Gwynne case: Sobbing accused 'wiped blood off hands'

Bailey Gwynne suffered fatal injuries during an incident at Cults Academy in October

The 16-year-old boy accused of fatally stabbing a teenager at an Aberdeen school wiped blood off his hands and sobbed after the incident, a court has heard.

Cults Academy depute head David Strang, 50, said the accused was brought into his office and was "anxious" and "agitated".

Bailey Gwynne, 16, died after being stabbed at the school in October.

The accused, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, denies murder.

Mr Strang told the High Court in Aberdeen that after the fight, the teenager had wiped blood off his hands with a tissue and given him a knuckleduster.

He said he remembered the accused then used a mobile phone to call his parents.

He said: "I think he said that he had stabbed someone."

He added: "He said that he had been called fat and that he had retaliated that his mother was fat."

The trial began on Tuesday, when the jury was told it was agreed by both prosecutors and defence lawyers that the accused became engaged in a fight with Bailey on 28 October 2015.

They also agreed that the victim was struck with a knife and suffered a "penetrating stab wound to the heart".

The jury heard earlier how an argument between Bailey and the accused had begun in a row over some biscuits which led to name-calling and then a fight between Bailey and the accused.

Witnesses said they were not aware of any conflict between the two before the incident.

A paramedic called to the scene told the court that Bailey was "gasping for breath" when he arrived.

Gary Gillespie said the teenager was one of the palest people he had ever seen.

'Moment of anger'

The fast response paramedic said: "He was gasping for breath with an obvious injury to the chest."

He said it was clear there had been "huge internal blood loss". Mr Gillespie, 46, started treating Bailey, but his heart stopped.

Efforts continued at school and then in the ambulance on the way to hospital, but there was no change in his condition.

He said there was nothing more he could have done.

Police officer Christopher Masson, who was called to the school, said the accused was handcuffed and then said: "Is he dead? It was just a moment of anger."

PC Masson added: "He was very distressed."

On the second day of the trial, the court also heard evidence from a friend of the accused.

The witness, who cannot be identified, said he had seen the accused with a knife 20 or 25 times - including the Monday or Tuesday before the alleged murder.

A knife was found by a police scene examiner in a bin at the school after the stabbing, the court heard

He told the court: "I just said 'why did you bring it to school?' He was like he thought it was something cool to have.

"I said not to bring it to school."

The witness said he had also seen the accused with knuckledusters 40 or 50 times, which the 16-year-old told him he had bought online.

He told advocate depute Alex Prentice QC, prosecuting, that Bailey and the accused started fighting after exchanging insults.

He said he was shocked as Bailey was "really shy" and was known not to fight back. Bailey was then stabbed and he saw blood.

'Knife in bin'

The witness said the knife the accused had shown him was a different one seen by the jury on Tuesday - a knife which had been recovered from a bin at the school by a police scene examiner after the stabbing.

Defence counsel Ian Duguid QC asked the witness why the accused had items like knuckledusters if he was not an aggressive, violent individual.

He said: "He liked to play about with them."

The murder charge against the 16-year-old claims he did "engage in fighting" with Bailey and struck him on the body with a knife.

In addition, the accused is also alleged to have had knives or "bladed instruments" as well as two knuckledusters at school "without reasonable excuse or lawful authority" on various occasions between 1 August 2013 and the day of the alleged murder.

The court heard the Crown case might conclude on Thursday. The trial, before judge Lady Stacey, is expected to last several days.